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BBaacckkggrroouunndd SStttuuddyy ##77 Historic Resources Profile Introduction Lebanon County and its local municipalities are rich in history and cultural amenities that distinguish the county from others in the region. Beginning with a brief historical sketch of Lebanon County, this profile will inventory sites of local, county, and state significance, via existing cultural resource inventories, surveys, and reports. It will also note additional sites of significance with relevant potential for inclusion in the county’s recreation, open space and greenway network. The profile will describe existing protection, management and interpretation practices and programs, including the effectiveness of current historic district regulations. History and Culture of Lebanon County The Lebanon Valley was first occupied by Native Americans, namely the Leni Lenapi or Delaware Indians of the Algonquin family. Though they defended their territory rigorously against European immigrants, they were ultimately killed or displaced from the region by the persistence of colonial frontiersmen. Fortunately, they are not forgotten, for the names they gave to the landscape features are still in use today. Swatara – meaning “where we feed on eels” Quittapahilla – meaning “spring from the ground among pines” Conewago – meaning “place of the rapids” Tulpehocken – meaning “land of the turtles” Kittatinny – meaning “endless hills” 1 Early settlements were defended by frontier forts. Fort Manada and Fort Swatara were established along the Kittatinny Ridge. Light’s Fort (along present-day PA 72), Reed’s Fort (along present-day US 22) and Fort Zeller (near present-day Newmanstown) were valley-based shelters during Indian raids. These locations are commemorated with historical markers. 2 The Lebanon Valley was settled from west to east in the early 1700s by Scotch-Irish and German families. The Scotch-Irish families, who fled Quaker oppression in Philadelphia, followed the Susquehanna River banks, settled in then eastern Dauphin County where land was available by payment or squatting. Their heritage prepared them for frontier life with a strong sense of self-reliance and a love of hunting, fishing and adventure. The Scotch-Irish people were also civic minded and established early social organizations. The German families had roots in the Rhine region of southwest Germany and were devoted farmers. After failed attempts to settle in New York, they sought a milder climate in Pennsylvania at the invitation of the governor. 3 George Steitz is given credit for laying out the present city of Lebanon in the 1740s. The town was located in what was then Lebanon Township in Lancaster County and was commonly called Steitz Town or Steiza, after its proprietor. The village was renamed Lebanon in 1758 and became the county seat when Lebanon County was created by an Act of Assembly in 1813 from portions of Dauphin and Lancaster Counties. 4 The first settlers in the Lebanon Valley were farmers attracted to the valley’s fertile land. As farming became more productive, different trades and industries moved into the valley. It was the farmers, though, who were responsible for the first major improvements in the county. The Berks and Dauphin Turnpike , formed in 1805 and now U.S. Route 422, was largely a result of the Lebanon Valley farmers’ demand for a better means to transport their crops to the markets. The 1 A Report of the Geological Setting and History of Lebanon County. Part I of a Comprehensive Plan for Lebanon County. 1958. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. 4 Lebanon County Historical Society. Annals published in the Souvenir Program for Lebanon’s Bicentennial, celebrated June 30-July 5, 1940. 2007 Lebanon County Comprehensive Plan 7-1 HHiiisstttoorriiicc RReessoouurrcceess PPrroofffiiilllee turnpike bisected the county and had stops in Myerstown, Lebanon, Annville, and Palmyra along with numerous smaller communities. It was the turnpike that served as the first growth catalyst in the county. 5 The state sponsored the construction of the Lancaster to Sunbury Road , by way of Lebanon and Jonestown. Built around 1820 and now known as Route 72, it has been and continues to be an important artery of north-south transportation. 6 Completion of the Horse Shoe Pike, now U.S. Route 322, linking Harrisburg to Philadelphia and traversing the southern portion of the county, was completed in 1829. The development of transportation routes was not the only infrastructure improvement that took place in early Lebanon County. The water works of colonial Schaefferstown constitute the first water conveyance system through underground pipes ever established in a British colony in North America. The first pipes, thought to have been laid prior to 1750, were made of wood sections of oak with holes bored through the center. These wooden pipes served for a century before they were replaced with the metal pipes that still bring water, by gravity, from a spring on Tower Hill to the center of town. The water flowed from the spring to Market Street, and along Market Street to the northwest corner of Market Square. In 1845, the General Assembly of Pennsylvania granted a charter to the Schaefferstown Water Company the rights and property to be held in trust forever. This company was a successor to the Fountain Company of Heidelberg. Today, two fountains mark the location of the early system in what is now known as Fountain Park. 789 Also contributing heavily to the development patterns in the area were the Cornwall ore hills and furnaces. The discovery of the ore by Peter Grubb was vital to the economy, and the location of the ore hills themselves made the Cornwall area a natural area for the smelting of iron ore. Not only was there a seemingly plentiful, easily accessible source of iron ore, but it was surrounded by forest, which provided wood for coke production, and limestone, a prime smelting ingredient. There was also the availability of streams to furnish power for the furnaces needed to process the ore. Thus, all four ingredients necessary for the process of smelting ore were readily available. The proximity to the anthracite fields to the north became an asset when coal fired furnaces became prominent in the 1840s. The Cornwall iron ore hills and furnaces were a catalyst for the growth and development of an industry which would become the backbone of both the economy of Lebanon County and also the Commonwealth. The ore hills also provided the principal source of metal for the railroads involved in the expansion and development of the country to the west. 10 The operation of the Cornwall iron ore mines and furnaces was acquired by Robert Coleman, who later passed controlling interest to his great grandson, Robert Habersham Coleman. As production increased and the markets expanded, the Coleman family acknowledged the need for rail service. In 1853, R.W. Coleman, William Coleman, and G. Dawson Coleman formed the North Lebanon Railroad , later renamed the Cornwall Railroad Company , to connect the ore hills to the Union Canal landings in Lebanon.11 In 1883, as even wider markets were sought, R.H. Coleman built the Cornwall and Lebanon Railroad which ran from Lebanon to Cornwall and through the Conewago Hills to Elizabethtown. 12 The railroad was built to connect holdings to the Pennsylvania Railroad at Conewago, thereby opening Cornwall and Lebanon to markets in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and west. Both of these lines provided passenger service throughout the county and to two favorite local picnic and recreation areas, the Mount Gretna Park and Penryn Park. Another catalyst for growth was the Union Canal . Completed in 1827, the 81-mile long Union Canal was designed to connect the Susquehanna River at Middletown with the Schuylkill River in Reading and served as a primary transportation route in the mid 1800s. The canal brought prosperity to many communities including Myerstown. As a junction of the canal and the Berks and Dauphin Turnpike, Myerstown became a bustling trade and transportation center providing services to travelers. 13 5 Lebanon County Interim Plan, prepared by the Lebanon County Planning Department. 1987. 6 North Lebanon Township Comprehensive Plan, 1994. 7 Lebanon County Historical Society. Article published in the Souvenir Program for Lebanon’s Bicentennial, celebrated June 30-July5, 1940. 8 “Lebanon County Through the Centuries.” An Appreciation, Lebanon Steel Foundry, Lebanon Pennsylvania. 9 Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. 10 Cornwall Borough Comprehensive Plan, prepared by the Lebanon County Planning Department, 1990. 11 Cornwall Borough Comprehensive Plan, prepared by the Lebanon County Planning Department, 1990. 12 Bitner, Jack. “Mount Gretna, A Coleman Legacy.” Prepared for the Mount Gretna Area Historical Society. 13 Lebanon County Interim Plan, prepared by the Lebanon County Planning Department. 1987. 7-2 2007 Lebanon County Comprehensive Plan BBaacckkggrroouunndd SStttuuddyy ##77 Mount Gretna was selected by Robert Coleman as a station and recreation area. In 1884, the floor of the park was cleared and picnic facilities installed among springs and varied trees and plants. The following year, he invited the Pennsylvania 3 rd Brigade to encamp at Mt. Gretna and had grounds adjacent to the park cleared. This was the summer home of the Pennsylvania National Guard for the next half century, until it moved to Fort Indiantown Gap in 1935. In the fall of 1885, Coleman ordered a dam constructed across Conewago Creek, and by the spring of 1886, Lake Conewago appeared. By 1890, the park was supplied with electricity and drew crowds in excess of 20,000. 14 In 1909 the magnificent, 100+ room Hotel Conewago opened to visitors. Located on the western shore of the lake, the facility “was equipped with billiard tables and bowling alleys, tennis courts, basement garages and huge sandstone fireplaces in the lobbies.” However, with the departure of the troops and the economic consequences of the 1929 Depression, the hotel closed its doors in the late 1930’s and was demolished in 1941 15 .

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